Saskatchewan Recognizes Living Organ Donation Week

CANADA, September 9 - Released on September 9, 2025

The Government of Saskatchewan has designated the week of September 7-13 to be Living Organ Donation Week in Saskatchewan to celebrate living donors and recipients and inspire more people to consider becoming donors. 

"Saskatchewan's commitment to organ and tissue donation reflects our dedication to enhancing and extending the lives of those who are in dire need of a donation," Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. "We are proud to showcase these incredibly selfless acts of generosity that have transformed the lives of residents in our province."

To raise awareness, a province-wide advertising campaign will be launching this week featuring living organ donors and recipients from Saskatchewan on social media channels, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. There will also be digital billboard ads shown in doctor's offices, airports, cineplex movie theatres and on city buses in Regina and Saskatoon. 

Brent Kruger is one of the living organ donors featured in the campaign who donated his kidney to a stranger in February of 2023. He decided to become a donor after seeing a news story about a woman in Saskatoon who used her car to publicly call for help in finding a kidney donor who matches her blood type. 

"My blood type matched and it was almost like a light-bulb moment," Kruger said. "I knew I had to at least give the number a call just to see what the process was like." 

"If it weren't for the scars on my abdomen, I wouldn't know that I gave a kidney, because I feel amazing. There was a little bit of pain and discomfort after the surgery, but every time I see Debbie, my recipient, I just say, it was all worth it to give her a second chance at life. I wouldn't change that for the world. You don't have to donate to just friends and family or someone you know. I donated to somebody that I know now, but I think that the people that donate to people that they may never meet - that's next level."

Living organ donation is part of a broader effort to increase organ and tissue donation rates in Saskatchewan, which is crucial for reducing wait times for patients needing a transplant procedure. As of July 2025, there are 107 adult patients waiting to receive a kidney in Saskatchewan. 

"Living kidney donation offers patients a shorter wait time, better long-term outcomes, and the chance to avoid dialysis, giving them the best opportunity for a healthy life," Transplant Nephrologist and Living Kidney Donation Program Lead Dr. Rahul Mainra said. "Living kidney donors make an extraordinary gift by transforming lives, reducing the transplant waitlist, and providing hope for patients in need. The Saskatchewan Transplant Program is proud to help living donors and recipients achieve these great outcomes."

Any person 18-years or older can contact the Saskatchewan Transplant Program to inquire about living organ donation by calling 1-844-RENAL2U or 306-766-6475. While only kidney donations are accepted and only kidney transplant procedures are performed in Saskatchewan at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, the Transplant Program works with other provinces and physicians that facilitate transplants for other organs.

"I would like to thank all of the amazing organ donors in our province who have allowed patients in Saskatchewan and other provinces to live longer, healthier lives," Cockrill said. "Without these donors and our incredible community of physicians, surgeons and health care teams, these life-changing, and often times, life-saving procedures, would not be possible." 

To learn more about organ and tissue donation, visit: www.givelifesask.ca. 

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For more information, contact:

Media Relations
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: media@health.gov.sk.ca